Loading Photo Galleries ...

Written by

Krista Bellardo

The Lentil Burger is one of the most popular vegan dishes on the menu. / KRISTA BELLARDO

Vegan Mozzarella Sticks are made with Daiya, a vegan cheese, dredged in a mixture that includes rice milk as the egg substitute and dipped into panko breadcrumbs and spices. They are served with a roasted garlic marinara sauce. / KRISTA BELLARDO

Owner Jeff Ching got the idea of catering to both vegetarians and carnivores around 2008, when he was working at a café in Boston with a similar theme. When The Owl House opened in 2010, about half of the menu catered to people with special diets. Today, Ching estimated, about 30 percent to 40 percent of the customers are vegetarian, vegan or gluten-free.

Anything on the menu that can be homemade is, including gluten-free bread.

“The items that take the longest to make are generally the ones that people like the most,” said Ching.

One of those is the lentil burger. During the restaurant’s first year, Ching estimated, about 8,000 were sold.

The lentils are soaked overnight, then cooked. Flax seed, spices and other ingredients are added. The burger is placed on an onion roll and topped with lettuce, tomato, onion, sprouts and roasted garlic Vegenaise.

Ching said that the restaurant plans to introduce a new menu this spring. The most significant change will be the addition of a more permanent dinner menu. But customer favorites such as the lentil burger are here to stay.